Computer system organization

Register is a special, high-speed storage area within the CPU. All data must be represented in a register before it can be processed. (The register can contain the address of a memory location where data is stored rather than the actual data itself.)

The number of registers that a CPU has and the size of each (number of bits) help determine the power and speed of a CPU.

Early CPUs were designed as a part of a large computer. The form, construction, design and complexity of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation remains much the same.

Today chip manufacturers have reached a limit in terms of the number of transistors that can be etched on a silicon chip. They prefer multicore chips. There are two, four or six chips that form a computer processor today, by working in coordination. This multicore design has helped chip makers to surpass the clocking frequency barrier^* and create faster chips.

Modern microprocessors appear in everything from automobiles to cell phones.

^*clocking frequency barrier - барьер тактовой частоты

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions.

1. What does the term CPU include?

2. What is the processor?

3. What is the CPU linked to?

4. What is the main task of the CPU?

5. How many instructions are processors capable of carrying out at a time?

6. What is the speed of a processor measured in?

7. What are the typical parts of the CPU?

8. What is the ALU?

9. What is the CU?

10. What is the register?

11. How many chips form a computer processor today?

12. Where can you find microprocessors?

Exercise 2. Find the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations in the text.

Мозг, плата расширения, соединять, оперативная память, последовательность, получать, арифметико-логическое устройство, выполнять, блок управления, регистр, соответствующий, скорость, создавать

Exercise 3. Match English words and word combinations with their Russian equivalents.

1	to create	a	мозг
2	appropriate	b	плата расширения
3	register	c	соединять
4	speed	d	оперативная память
5	control unit	e	последовательность
6	to receive	f	арифметико-логическое устройство
7	main memory	g	блок управления
8	to link	h	регистр
9	the arithmetic and logic unit	i	скорость
10	expansion card	j	соответствующий
11	brain	k	получать
12	sequence	l	создавать

Exercise 4. Match the words which are very close in their meaning.

1	to constitute	a	to connect
2	to receive	b	component
3	fundamental	c	position
4	to link	d	considerably
5	to execute	e	contemporary
6	part	f	to compose
7	location	g	cell phone
8	dramatically	h	to design
9	modern	i	to perform
10	mobile phone	j	basic
11	to create	k	to get

Exercise 5. Match the words with the opposite meaning.

1	multiplication	a	minority
2	to link	b	addition
3	to create	c	division
4	to receive	d	total
5	modern	e	to break
6	majority	f	to disconnect
7	part	g	to send
8	subtraction	h	outdated
9	to link	i	to separate

Exercise 6. Mark the sentences: True/False/ No information.

1. CPUs are among the essential components in computers.

2. The CPU is a part of a computer that interprets and executes instructions.

3. The term CPU has been in use in the computer industry since the early 1960s.

4. The CPU is linked to the peripheral devices.

5. While the complexity, size, construction, and general form of CPUs have changed drastically (drastically – коренным образом) over the years, the basic design and function has not changed much at all.

6. On personal computers and small workstations, the CPU is housed in a single chip called a microprocessor.

7. The majority of processors are capable of carrying out a single instruction in less than one-billionth of a second.

8. The CPU is inserted directly into a CPU socket, pin side down, on the motherboard.

9. The ALU performs complex operations.

10. Nowadays chip manufacturers are increasing the production of transistors that can be etched on a silicon chip.

11. Today you can find microprocessors in different things.

Exercise 7. Complete each sentence (1-8) with the most appropriate ending (a-h).

1	The registers	a	is the most important element of a computer system.
2	The Control Unit	b	performs arithmetic and logical operations.
3	The CPU	c	is an integrated computer circuit that performs all the functions of a CPU.
4	Two typical components of a CPU	d	manages and coordinates all the operations of the chip.
5	The arithmetic logic unit	e	have some form of memory.
6	Microprocessor	f	are temporary storage areas on the CPU itself.
7	All computers	g	are the arithmetic logic unit and the control unit.
8	The terms processor, microprocessor and CPU	h	are interchangeable.

Exercise 8. Fill in the gaps with the words given below.

Brain, storage, graphic card, power supply, memory, Motherboard, sound card, parts

A computer has several ____________. The CPU is like a ____________. It does most of the thinking and tells the rest of the computer how to work. The CPU is on the ___________. It provides the basis for where the other parts go, and carries the nerves that connected them to each other and the CPU. The motherboard is connected to the _____________, which provides electricity to the entire computer. The various drives (e.g. CD drive) allow the computer to read different types of ___________. The hard drive is like a human’s _______________, and keeps track of all data stored on the computer. Most computers have a sound card. Connected to the ______________ are speakers. Computers might have a ____________, which helps the computer to create visual effects.

Read and translate the dialogues.

I

A. William, can you help me please?

B. Yes, sure.

A. What does CPU stand for?

B. The CPU is short for Central Processing Unit.

A. What is a microprocessor?

B. The CPU is also known as a processor or microprocessor.

A. Where is the CPU located?

B. It is located on the motherboard of the computer.

A. What does a processor consist of?

B. A processor consists of the control unit, the arithmetic and logic unit, and memory as well as various temporary buffers and other logic. Is that all?

A. Oh, no. William, what is a logic chip?

B. A microprocessor.

A. And what is a register?

B. Register is a special, high-speed storage area within the CPU.

A. Oh. I remember: all data must be represented in a register before it can be processed.

B. Ok. Ann. And what determines the power and speed of a CPU?

A. I don’t know.

B. The number of registers that a CPU has and the size of each (number of bits) help determine the power and speed of a CPU.

A. Thank you, William! You are a brilliant boy!

II

A. Can I help you? What are you looking for?

B. I would like a computer with the best processor.

A. What do you mean?

B. High speed of computing, multitasking, ability to handle intensive 3D graphics, large cache size.

A. Here are some of the best computers. Look at this one.

B. This is a desktop computer. But I would like a laptop.

A. And what about this laptop with the topmost processor?

B. What processor?

A. Intel Core i7 990X.

B. And what about Intel Pentium Processor G6950?

A. Intel Core i7 990X is simply the best processor on the planet.

B. Why do you think so?

A. This CPU has 6 cores, 12 threads, 12 MB smart cache and a maximum clocking frequency of 3.46 GHz.

B. Is it a good computer chip for gaming?

A. The best one. It is a processor born to rule and conquer gaming aficionados and power users.

B. Oh, I’d like it.

A. But there is only problem with Intel core i7 990X… It’s the price.

B. How much is it?

A. $1000.

B. The price sets it beyond the reach of most mortals.

A. There is a lot of choice in the lower ranks to choose from.

B. Have you got a computer with AMD Phenom II?

A. Look at this one with quad core chips at much lower price.

B. Yes, this is the computer I would like to have. And the cost is reasonable.

1. aficionados [əˌfɪʃɪəˈnɑːdəʊ] – страстный любитель, заядлый любитель, фанат

2. power user – опытный пользователь

3. beyond the reach of most mortals – вне досягаемости для большинства смертных

4. quad core chips – четырехъядерные чипы

(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/best-computer-processor.html)

Exercise 9. Translate the following text in a written form. Use a dictionary if necessary.

The central processing unit is the part of a computer which controls all the other parts. The CPU generally consists of the control unit, the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), registers, temporary buffers and various other logics.

The control unit selects and retrieves instructions from memory and decodes them to produce signals which control the other parts of the computer. These signals cause it to transfer data between memory and ALU or to activate peripherals to perform input or output.

Various types of memory, including cache, RAM and ROM, are often considered to be part of the CPU, particularly in modern microprocessors where a single integrated circuit may contain one or more processors as well as any or all of the above types of memory.

(http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Main+processor)